Advanced Translation Memories Settings

Smartcat Team

December 18, 2017 21:38

Setting Up Translation Memories

A translation memory (TM) is a database that stores translations of your texts from one source language into one or several target languages. This resource is always used when texts are translated in the system. It is handier to create and use separate TMs for different clients and topics. In this case, when creating a project, you can easily select the best translation memory - and then the system will automatically offer a saved translation whenever it detects text segments similar to those which you have translated previously.

Automatic Translation Memory Setup

When a project is created, Smartcat sets up translation memories automatically.

If you have not yet created any translation memories in the system, a new TM will be created (it will have the same name as the project).

If you have already uploaded a TMX file to a project, the system will create a translation memory using this file, and enable it on the project.

If you specified a client or project group for the project, the system will enable the relevant translation memory from the ones that you have already created in Smartcat for this client or project group.

Manual Translation Memory Setup

You can change TM settings on the Translation Memory tab in the Advanced Settings.

Changing an Automatically Created TM

If you have uploaded a TMX file to a project, you can change this TM's settings. To do this, hover the cursor over the TM in the Uploaded Translation Memories area and click the pencil icon.

You can change the name of the new translation memory, add target languages, select a client, project group or topic, and specify whether matches should be searched taking adjacent segments into account (in other words, whether to use the context check).

After configuring the TM, click Save.

Enabling a Previously Created TM

If you wish to enable a TM that you've already created in Smartcat on a new project, press the Select existing TM menu.

In the window that opens, you will see a list of TMs matching the language pair of your project. You can filter TMs by client, project group and topic.

After selecting the TMs, click Add.

Creating a TM

To create a TM and enable it on a project, press the Create new TM menu.

The new TM will appear in the New Translation Memory area. To change the settings of this TM, hover the cursor over it and click the pencil icon.

You can change the name of the new translation memory, add target languages, select a client, project group or topic, and specify whether matches should be searched taking adjacent segments into account (in other words, whether to use the context check).

After configuring the TM, click Save.

Selecting a TM for New Translations

Several TMs can be enabled on a project. You can save the new translations generated in the project in one of the TMs already being used in the project. You can select which TM you want to record the new translations into. To do this, select a translation memory and click Write.

Disabling a TM

To disable a translation memory being used on the project, hover the cursor over it and click the cross.